Process of closing receptacles



Nov. 4 1924.

A. L. KRONQUEST PROCESS OF CLOSING RECEPTACLES 2 Sheets-Sheet l FiledAug. 9, 192] Nov. 4 1924 1,514,538 I A. L. KRONQUEST PROCESS OF CLOSINGRECEPTACLES Filed Aug. 9, 1 92] 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patent Nov. 4, 1924.

ALFRED L. KRONQ'UEST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T CONTINENTAL CANCOMPANY, INC., OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF CLOSING RECEPTACLES.

Application filed August 9, 1921. Serial No. 490,894.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. KRON- ouns'r, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Processof Closing Receptacles, of which the following isa descrlption,reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures ofreference marked thereon.

The invention relates to newand useful improvements in a process ofclosing receptacles, and more particularly to aprocess of closingopen-top metal cans.

' An object of the invention is to provide a process of closing canswherein the extent of bending of the metal is very small and of such acharacter that a very simple machine or apparatus may be used for theclosing of the cans.

A further object of the invention is to provide a process of closingcans, wherein the flange on the cover or closure, by a slight bendingthereof, is caused to indent or contractthe body portion of the can,whereby the cover is firmly secured thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a process of the abovecharacter wherein the cover or closure is pressed firmly against thebody portion of the container as it is secured to the body portion ofthe can. These and other objects will in part be obvious and will inpart be hereinafter more fullydisclosed. I

In the drawings which show by way .of illustration, more or lessdiagrammatically, one form of'apparatus for carrying out my processFigure 1 is a View partly in side elevation 40 and partly in sectionthereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged View of a portion of the apparatus showing thecover seated preparatory to closing the same on tothe body portion ofthecan; v

Fig. 3 is a view' similar to Fig. 2', but showing the cover as tightlysecured to the can body; 1

Fig. 4 is a view in vertical section showing a modified form ofstructure of closure and process of closing the can;

' Fig. 5 is a detail in section showing a portion of the apparatusofFig. 4:, and with the cover secured to the can body;

Fig. '6 is an enlarged section through a portion of the can showing thecover as first applied, and

Flg. 7 is a similar view but showing the cover secured to the can body.

The invention, is directed broadly to a closure for receptacles and moreparticularly a receptaclemade of metal and having a cylindrical bodyportion. The upper end of said cylindrical body portion is open and theopening through which the contents is placed in the can .issubstantially the full diameter of the can body. The upper edge of themetal forming the side walls of the can body is bent in order tostrengthen the same, and this is done preferably by rolling the upperedge inwardly to form a bead; or, what is often referred to, as a falsewire. The cover or closure for the can body has its central portiondepressed forming a ver-:

tical wall adapted to fit within the opening.

Said cover is also provided with an outer substantially Vertical flange.Between the vertical flange and the vertical wall of the centraldepressed portion, a U-shaped pocket 'is formed which is shaped toreceive the bead on the can body. The inner wall of the flange and theouter wall of the central depressed portion frictionally engagethe outerface of the bead and the inner face of the bead or inner wall of the.can body, respectively. The 'wall of the can body immedi .ately belowthe reinforced edge is preferably .is bentoutwardly only slightly. Aft'er the cover is seated on the can body, the outwardly bent portion ofthe flange is turned up and this turned up part of the flange, togetherwith that portion of the flange immediately above the bend therein isforced into the vertical wall of the can body so as to indent andcontract the same along a line or at points below the strengthened upperend ofthe vertical wall of the can body, and thus the cover is drawndownwardly on to the can body and securely attached thereto.

In another form of the invention, and pos sibly the preferred form, theflange of the cover is rolled or bent to strengthen and to is preferablyfolded or rolled upwardly and turned in so as to conceal the raw edgethereof and then flattened, thus forming a strengthening bead of greaterthickness than the thickness of the flange. This thickened andstrengthened portion is crowded inwardly when on the body portion of thereceptacle, and caused to indent and contract the vertical wall of thecan body along a line below and parallel with the strengthened edge ofthe can body, and thus the cover is drawn downwardly on to the can bodyand securely attached thereto. I The process will possibly be betterunderstood by a brief reference to the structure and apparatus shown inthe drawings. In Figs. l to 3 of said drawings, I have shown anapparatus consisting of a suitable bed 1, which carries a support 2, onwhich the can, indicated at 3, is laced; Said support is preferablycarried y a spring 4, so that it may yield. The can body is cylindricaland has a bottom end 5 attached thereto by suitable means, such as bydouble seaming, soldering or the like, but preferably by double seaming,as I prefer that as little solder as possible be used in the making ofmy improved closure.

The upper end of the cylindrical body portion is rolled inwardly to forma bead 6. Said bead may be hollow, or substantially tightly rolled, andis often referred to as a false wire. The essential feature, however, isthe strengthening of-the upper edge of the cylindrical body portion ofthe can body and this may be accomplished by the bending of the metalinto various forms and shapes.

The wall of the can body immediately below the strengthening'upper edgethereof is vertical. The cover or closure is indicated at 7 and isformed with a central depressed portion forming a vertical wall 8, andthe cover also ,has a depending flange forming a vertical wall 9.Between these vertical walls Sand 9 there is a U-shaped pocket 10, inwhich is placed a suitable sealing material 11. The depending flange 9is bent at 12, so

as to form an outwardly but downwardly extending portion 13. The filledcan body is placed on the support 2 with the cover in place andfrictionally engaging the can,

after whichla chuck engages the'cover and forces the coverdown on to thecan body,

holding the same tightly thereon during the closing operation; 'Thesealing material is g confined in the U-shaped pocket between thevertical walls Sand 9 and the pressing of the .cover down on tothe canbody is limited by the seahngmaterial, so that af'very tight seal isformed. While so held'pressed on the can body, the can body and cover.are moved downwardly, compressing the spring 4, and

thus the outwardly turned portion 13 of the flange on the cover isbrought into engagement with a closing ring 15. Said closing ring 15 isprovided with a flared or camshaped portion 16, which bends the portion.fiangle directly above the bend 12 inwardly,

as s own in Fig. 3, thus indenting or contracting the side wall of thecan body, as indicated at 18. This inward movement of the lower part ofthe flange which has been strengthenedby the turning up of the lowerportion thereof, while the cover is held pressed on the can body, tendsto draw the cover down tightly on' to the can body and the indenting orcontracting of the side wall of the can body along the linesubstantially parallel with and below the strengthened upper edgethereof firmly secures the cover to the can body. The closing ring mayreadily back ofi of the closed can without disturbing the tightconnection made between the cover and can body.

In Figures 4 to 7 inclusive, I have shown a slightly modified form ofthe cover, the

the thickness of the flange 9. This head is preferably flat, and is sodisposed on the flange 9 as to have its upper edge substantially in linewith the lower portion of the rolled edge 6 of the can body. This beadformed by the upwardly and inwardly bending ofthe metal, is preferablyflattened slightly, although from certain aspects of the invention, itmay be a circular bead, and of the nature of a false wire. The cover isplaced on the can body after the same manner as above described inconnection" with the process illustrated in Figures 1 to 3. Said coverhaving a relatively long flange 9 will frictionally engage the can bodyand be held thereon by friction so as to prevent spilling of thecontents during the handling of the filled can preparatory to theplacing tion 10 of the cover. Said cover may be firmly forced down on tothe can body and the bead 6 will be brought into contact with thesealing material, the sealing material limiting the downward movement ofthe cover. Said chuck is provided with a bolt 25 which is formed with ahead 26 which limits the downward movement of the chuck. Springs 27, 27normally force the chuck downwardly to its extreme lower position. Thechuck is placed in the circular recess 28 in the closing head 22. Said lcircular recess at the lower extremity thereof terminates in an inclinedcam 'wall 29. As the head moves downwardly, this inclined cam wall 29will engage the flattened head at the lower end of the flange and forcethe same downwardly and inwardly. The chuck firmly holds the cover frombeing drawn from the center portion thereof outwardly, and the result isthat the portion of the flange 9 above the bead will be drawn tightlyaround the hollow head 6 on the can body and the vertical side wall ofthe can body indented and contracted as indicated at 30. This permitsthe can body to move up into the recess 28 above the inclined'camportion 29 and the closing of the can 15 thereby completed. The head maybe raised and will be readily detached from the closed I can withoutdisturbing the connection of the cover thereto. It will be noted that inthis form of the invention, the head moves down on to the cover forclosing and not upwardly as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. There is a greatadvantage in this' downward movement of the head as it tends to draw thecover down on to the can body and causes the thickened portion of theflange of the cover to indent the vertical side wall and form its ownlocking seat while it is under this downward strain. This results in avery tight sealing of the can.

It will be understood of course, that the bending of the metal may beinwardly instead of outwardly to form this thickened strengthened edgeat the lower portion of the flange.

From the above, it will be noted that in both processes of closing thecan,'the cover indents or bendsthe side wall of the can body forming itsown locking groove in the can body and therefore, inasmuch as the coveris pressed tightly on to the can body, when this bending of the flangetakes place, the locking groove or seat formed in the side wall of thecan body will be so positioned relative to the gripping portion of theflange which holds the cover on the can body as to hold the covertightly seated and tightly sealed on the can body.

It is to be understood that my improved process is not limited to theapparatusshown, nor to the particular bending of the upper edge of thecan body, to strengthen the same, nor to the particular bending of theflange of the cover to strengthen and thicken the same. The essentialfeature consists in the steps which result in a portion of the flange ofthe cover indenting or contracting the side wall of the can body tobring about a locking of the cover to the can body and a sealing of thecover on the can body.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is

1. The process of closing cans consisting of providing an open topcylindrical can body, rolling the upper edge thereof inwardly to form astrengthened bead therefor, said can body having a substantiallyvertical wall immediately below the bead before the attachment of thecover thereto forming a cover with a depressed central portion, and adepending flange, providing a U-shaped pocket adapted to receive thehead on the upper edge of the can body, placing the cover on the canbody, pressing 'the same on the can body and while so pressed on the canbody bending the flange of the cover so as to cause the same to indentor contract the can body along a line substantially parallel with andbelow the strengthened bead for drawing the cover on to the can body andholding ,the same firmly secured thereto.

2. The process of closing cans consisting in providing an open-topcylindrical can body, rolling the upper edge thereof infor, said canbody having a substantially vertical wall immediately below the headbefore attachment of the cover thereto, placing thereon a cover having adepresed central portion, and a depending flange providing a U-shapedpocket adapted to receive the head on the upper edge of the can body,pressing the cover on the can body and while so pressed on the can bodybending a portion of the flange of the cover below the strengtheningbead upwardly until it lies against the outer face of the flange abovethe bend and forcing said upturned portion of the flange together with aportion of the flange immediately above the bend inwardly so as tocontract the vertical wall of the can body below said bead, thus drawingthe cover tightly on to the can ture.

ALFRED L. KRONQUEST.

wardly to form a strengthened bead there-

